On January 21, 2008, the first Gilly Hicks store opened (measuring 10,000 sq ft (930 m2)) in the upscale wing of Natick Collection with high anticipation. Abercrombie & Fitch analysts were exclusively invited to the event, where Mike Jeffries introduced the brand. He called GH "the Cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch". Afterwards, the analysts were encouraged to interact with the company's senior management team.
After the event, analysts came out very impressed with the brand's image and merchandise. Analyst Kimberly C. Greenberger enjoyed the "warm and inviting store entrance," the GH bras collection, and called Gilly Hicks's image "cute and sweetly sexy." She further said that Gilly Hicks is a more "wholesome" alternative to Victoria's Secret and that "mothers would not mind taking their 15 year-olds to Gilly Hicks to shop."
After the event, the store became the target of interest for many shoppers. Anticipation that was built before the opening was displayed as the store became full of customers. Center officials of Natick reported an extensive line of customers outside the GH doors that went well into the afternoon. Michael McNaughton, vice president of General Growth (in charge of the expansion of the Natick upscale level and who expressed interest in the GH store at Natick), said that "the opening certainly created a buzz that was so huge on the internet. People from California all the way to Australia were talking about this concept and contemplating coming out to see it."
A retail analyst named Chris Boring warns that Abercrombie & Fitch's brands are a "little more susceptible" should recession hit, because their specialties are premium-priced goods rather than necessities. "But a great brand can overcome that," he said. Boring later commented that the image is smart nevertheless, as Americans are intrigued by the Australian culture.
Overall, Gilly hicks has considerable prospects for the future. Victoria's Secret and Aerie sales has increased significantly.
Post-opening
Four days after the opening, the Australian newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald published that GH coincidentally opened three months before the opening of Just Group's Peter Alexander (an underwear store). However, its CEO stated that GH will not be a competition, as both brands offer underwear to a completely different consumer group. The CEO was also curious on
abercrombie and fitch's interpretation of Australia as a theme for an underwear store. Gillyhicks.com next became more informative with store locations and email subscriptions.
A total of 5 locations were open by the end of February. In months Gilly Hicks proved to very successful, gaining a great follow-up of customers from the Northeast and Midwest of the United States. The brand began expansion in the West coast on July 19, 2008, with the opening of an 11,000sqft store in Glendale, California's Americana at Brand.[4] Chairman and CEO of Caruso Affiliated and developer of Americana at Brand mentioned, "The Gilly Hicks brand has already created a tremendous buzz ...So we are excited to give West coast consumers the first opportunity to shop in this one-of-a-kind store with its unique ambience and trendy merchandise." In July 2008, a second promotional film was launched. A teenager was arrested for attepting to shoplift $100-worth of GH merchandise in the Natick store on December 29, 2008. Although 16 stores were planed to open in 2008, only 13 did.
